Jake's Super Smash Bros.: Crown of Orchid
is a platformer/beat 'em up side game that serves as the story mode to Jake's Super Smash Bros.. Because of its connection to Jake's Super Smash Bros., the game reuses many of that game's assets in addition to its gameplay being directly based on the fighting mechanics used by it. Crown of Orchid began as a reimagining of The Subspace Emissary, the story mode of 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and as such its story elements are heavily based off it. The game was announced during Existence Software's Fan11 presentation, where the game's basic story and ideas were first revealed. Fan11 Synopsis :In this world, trophies fight. :They know nothing but fighting. :Fighting is the sole reason for their existence. :Being turned back into a trophy, being unable to fight, :is much like death. :Those are the rules of this world. :But... :When someone... or something... breaks those rules, :the world will pay a terrible price... The story of Crown of Orchid is, as you may have surmised, based heavily upon the Subspace Emissary; heck, the preview I did for this showcase directly parallels the teaser for the Subspace Emissary mode. The Subspace Emissary focused around the idea of the canon of Super Smash Bros. taking place within a realm known as the "World of Trophies", overseen by Master Hand and Crazy Hand. At the end of this mode, it is revealed that the hands are actually the puppets of an otherworldly being known as Tabuu, who can be assumed despises the World of Trophies or the people within it, and wishes to destroy it by forcing to crumble and be absorbed within the realm of Subspace in which he resides. The Crown of Orchid is a bit of reimagining of this concept. In a world of creativity, where trophies come to life and, knowing nothing else, fight each other, their peaceful, yet chaotic, existence is broken up by the appearance of a new entity. While this world has seen its share of scuffles - Bowser has been known to kidnap Peach, Ganon has tried to take over Hyrule, etc. - this threat stands out from those minor, and relatively simple, skirmishes. Every time the trophies come-to-life battle, they release a certain aura as they fight. This aura powers the world in which they live, and is what grants them the power to be revived should they be returned to their inanimate state. This aura is collected by the large moon that orbits this world, which spreads it out and releases it back all across the world. This purple aura, which culminates as a ring that circles the moon, is known as the Orchid, as it clings to the moon and to all trophies, but does not harm them in any way and instead grants them the will to live and to fight. Thus, the moon, which farms their life force, in the centre of the trophies' existences, and they fight so they can continue to fight. That is, until the aura projected by the moon is extinguished. Suddenly, thousands of trophies are frozen in place, reduced to the inanimate state that simulates their death. Only roughly a hundred trophies remain unharmed as their connection to the Orchid is cut. At the same time, the sky turns a bright purple, forcing those who remain to band together and discover what happened to the Orchid and how to return it. Knowing that it is now possible to, the only thing standing in their way are those wishing to harness the Orchid for their own selfish gain - the villains that wish to band together in order to finally stomp out the heroes that have been battering them down since they first gained their animate forms. Gameplay While Jake's Super Smash Bros. primarily plays as a platforming-inspired fighting game, Crown of Orchid expands this concept by evolving the gameplay formula into a full-fledged sidescrolling beat 'em up title. While still featuring some combat segments where the screen is locked into a single position similar to the normal fighting mode, Crown of Orchid primarily features sidescrolling levels where up to two players must navigate levels while also fighting against whatever enemies may appear to halt their progress. In-between each level the player is sent to a map screen, which shows a view of the world where points on the map signify the different levels. The first time a level is entered, the player is forced to follow preset conditions - these include only being able to choose from a set pool of characters and the inclusion of story-related cutscenes; both of these are negated on subsequent playthroughs of a level as players can then choose to control any of the characters that have joined their party, and returning to them after later levels are completed may cause them to be changed in certain ways, sometimes including bonus story content. Additionally the player can choose to complete levels on different difficulties on a replay - this page describes the "Normal" difficulty, the "Easy" difficulty includes fewer enemies and gives the player more stocks, while "Hard" difficulty does the opposite. Once a character joins the player's party, they are unlocked in the base game of Jake's Super Smash Bros. Similar to the original gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. series, the player's character has a damage percentage that increases as they take damage. As their damage percentage increases, the character will take more knockback from attacks, and being launched off the screen will end up KOing them, and thus cause them to lose a stock or, in the case of having no other stocks, return to the map screen and forced to restart the level. Unlike the playable characters however, enemies and bosses feature HP bars, and completely emptying these gauges through taking damage will cause them to be defeated; enemies simply explode in a flash upon being defeated, while bosses instead have unique animations that often lead into cutscenes. The player can equip characters with stickers just as they can in the main game of Jake's Super Smash Bros. via the map screen. Characters Playable Characters :Main article: Jake's Super Smash Bros./Playable Characters Barring the two Mii classes, all of the playable characters of Jake's Super Smash Bros. reappear in Crown of Orchid. All of these playable characters play nearly-identical to their appearances in the main game, retaining their same movesets with only slight alterations to their stats - most characters move at a slower rate and deal less damage and knockback through attacks. Non-Playable Characters * An unannounced character, who runs a shop where players can purchase stickers and use those collected to enhance playable characters. Levels At the end of each level, characters are added (and sometimes removed) from the player's party. The end of each section will list the player's current party upon the initial completion of this level. Royal Stadium In the dark of night, under the purple light of the Orchid ring that circles the moon, a tournament is held in the glorious arena referred to as the Royal Stadium, where heroes and villains gather to duel in a test of courage and strength. Overseen by Peach and Zelda, the princesses of the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule, this is the centre of the world where trophies live to fight. With the ring of a bell, the next battle begins. Choose one character. That not chosen by Player 1 is fought as an enemy controlled either by the AI or by Player 2. The victor emerges victorious over the fallen hero, who transforms into a trophy and flies to the edge of the arena's platform. Walking over to their opponent, the winner transforms them back into their living form with a single touch, and they shake hands in a display of sportsmanship. Princess Peach and Zelda join the two heroes on the platform, as the victor is officially declared the last man standing in the tournament, crowds cheering all around them. As the four begin to leave, their celebration is cut short as the purple ring of Orchid on the moon suddenly disappears, drowning the Royal Stadium in a murky darkness. The audience mutters in confusion, as do the four on the battle platform, but their confusion is only heightened as the sky around them burns a bright purple aurora. The stadium becomes silent as the orchid glow engulfs the world, and within moments all of the stadium's audience members suddenly become trophies. Not the normal trophies that fighters transform into upon defeat, no - they lack bases. Mario, Link, Peach, and Zelda gather on the centre platform, and get ready to investigate, though their plans are cut short by a piercing roar. Crashing into the arena, their first obstacle in this new world appears. A giant dragon screeches as he stands in front of the four heroes, and he crudely smiles as an army of creatures are born from the purple mist that surrounds him. Mario and Link tell the princesses to leave, and they quickly scatter. The exit through one of the passageways as the dragon's army pursue them. The two heroes stand firm against the dragon, ready to protect their royals. The player switches to the character not chosen upon being KO'd. In multiplayer, both players are instead granted two stocks. Ridley pretends to be defeated, allowing for a moment of respite. As Ridley screeches in pain, Mario and Link back off in an attempt to join the princesses as they flee, though their exit is blocked by Ridley. Going in for a second round, the two team up once more. Meanwhile, Peach and Zelda try to navigate the corridors of the Royal Stadium, though their paths have been blocked by legions of enemies spawned from the purple mist that surrounds them. The player switches to the character not chosen upon being KO'd. In multiplayer, both players are instead granted two stocks. Once the princesses escape from the stadium, they look back and hear an explosion. Link and Mario are unable to defeat Ridley as he continues to attack them, and are forced into a corner. For his last resort, Link pulls out a bomb and throws it into the air before slicing it with a Sword Beam, creating a massive explosion. This stuns Ridley for a moment before he mimics that idea. Releasing a large fireball into the centre of the Royal Stadium to completely destroying the arena, engulfing Mario and Link in the process, Ridley then begins to fly off. Outside, the princesses continue to flee from the growing explosion. Meta Knight's warship, the Halberd, flies high above them, and they are enshrouded in its giant shadow. New party members: , Current party: , Skyworld Clouds High above the clouds, Pit and Dark Pit are locked in combat. Not a serious battle, but rather a bout of training, Palutena and Viridi watch the two warriors from a balcony above the temple's grounds. Choose one character. That not chosen by Player 1 is fought as an enemy controlled either by the AI or by Player 2. Before one of them can be proclaimed the victor, the purple lights from the mortal ground below encircle the temple and a mysterious mist fills the area. As the shadows surround the two angels, they suddenly find themselves falling through the air and unable to do anything about it. They crash land in the clouds, and with no way to return up to Skyworld the two angels decide to instead follow the path ahead of them. Within moments, they come upon an army of creatures that do not hesitate to attack the angels. The player switches to the character not chosen upon being KO'd. In multiplayer, both players are instead granted two stocks. The angels find that they are descending through the sky towards the mortal realm, and contemplate going back to try and find a way back to Skyworld. While Pit begins to head back he is stopped in his tracks as an army of monsters begin advancing towards them from that direction. Quickly, Dark Pit heads off in the direction they were originally travelling and Pit follows, though the two are quickly stopped once more, this time by the purple mist. A large creature emerges from this purple mist, its eyes glowing red through the dark area around them. Seeing one strong enemy easier to defeat than an army of weaker ones, Pit and Dark Pit engage this creature. The player switches to the character not chosen upon being KO'd. In multiplayer, both players are instead granted two stocks. With the creature standing in their way defeated and the army of monsters closing in, Pit and Dark Pit continue onwards towards the end of their path. As they reach the ledge they see an unbelievable sight: an explosion close by, the Royal Stadium they have fought in before in flames, and a warship flying through the sky. Before making a move, Dark Pit points out two silhouettes in the shadow of the Halberd, fighting off the same creatures that assailed them on their journey down to the surface world. Though lacking the power of flight that their goddesses gift them, Pit and Dark Pit don't hesitate to glide down to their aid. Each player chooses two characters, and they switch between them upon being KO'd. Once the group fights off the enemies, they see the shape of the dragon that attacked the Royal Stadium fly onto the deck of the Halberd above them. As it disappears from their vision the Halberd begins moving at a higher speed, flying off through the sky and over the Royal Stadium. The two angels watch in confusion regarding the events enfolding around them, but Peach takes the opportunity to thank them, producing a cake out of thin air. Happily, Pit indulges in the pastry, and the rest reluctantly follow while making the most of this moment of respite. Back in the temple above the clouds, Palutena and Viridi find their domain being invaded by four creatures of darkness. Palutena tries to combat the opposing forces but her attack has no effect on them, and Viridi tries once more and the same results ensue. The four creatures surround the goddesses, and a fifth creature, their leader, appears momentarily out of a portal of darkness. The five surround the goddesses, whose attacks are useless against these creatures, and in an explosion of energy they all disappear. New party members: , Current party: , , , Halberd Escape After the large purple dragon boards the Halberd battleship, it throws its two treasures onto an elevator that descends a short moment later. These treasures, the trophies of Mario and Link, descend far into the depths of the Halberd on an elevator before falling over as they suddenly stop moving. The ground falls away beneath them as the elevator's floor changes into a trolley, and a small little robot comes in to push it away. Suddenly the ship shakes, causing the trophy of Mario to fall off the platform. The small robot goes to pick him up, timidly, but its touch instead causes the plumber to be revived. He thanks the small robot and revives Link as well, as a siren goes off above them. Player 1 can choose the order that they can play as certain characters. When a second player joins, they gain a fourth stock. As the three journey through the corridors of the Halberd, they are relentlessly hounded by enemies. Eventually they make their way up to the deck of the ship, where they see that the ship has since flown over a jungle. Mario and Link consider jumping off the ship into the trees below, but before they can a group of three enemies appear behind them to halt their progress. Player 1 can choose the order that they can play as certain characters. When a second player joins, they gain a fourth stock. With these creatures seemingly defeated, Mario and Link once again consider diving off the deck of the battleship. This time, the two heroes, and Chibi-Robo, go through with it, jumping into the trees below. Above them, Ridley roars with rage seeing them escaping, and the purple mist descends down into the trees below. As Mario, Link, and Chibi-Robo crash into the trees, they bounce off into different directions, separating the trio. Current party: , , , Jungle Search Mario awakes, and finds Chibi-Robo looking over him. With Link nowhere in sight, the two run off to try and find him. The player switches to the character not chosen upon being KO'd. In multiplayer, both players are instead granted two stocks. Mario and Chibi-Robo end up on a cliff that looks out over the trees. Far below them, they spot Link surrounded by creatures, protecting another figure. Without hesitating, they get ready to jump down and assist them. Player 1 can choose the order that they can play as certain characters. When a second player joins, both instead choose two characters. Just as they think they're in the clear, the purple mist reappears around them and slowly congeal to create another form around a small weed that sits near them. This giant villain is quickly joined by a number of other enemies, and orders its goons to take down the four heroes. Player 1 can choose the order that they can play as certain characters. When a second player joins, both instead choose two characters. With the giant Piranha Plant clone defeated, the purple mist dispels, leaving a smaller version of the one it cloned behind. This stunned creature, who sits in a pot, gets threatened by Link's sword, but shrinks back at the sight of it. The five look up and see the battleship Halberd flying away, raining down purple mist upon all below it. Link whistles and his horse, Epona, runs up to his side, and he gets ready to chase the ship down. Meanwhile, Pit and Dark Pit call upon the Lightning Chariot. The two angels and two princesses fly across the sky, also chasing after the Halberd in an attempt to locate Mario and Link. New party members: , , , , Current party: , , , , , , , Enemies Midbosses Bosses Trivia * Echo Fighters included in Jake's Super Smash Bros. were not originally planned to be included in the Crown of Orchid story. However, with the expansion of the roster with Jake's Super Smash Bros.: Complete, the story has been reworked in different ways to include both the Echo Fighters and the additional, originally unplanned characters. * Crown of Orchid went by three other names prior to the story's final title being chosen. These three titles were, in order: Amethyst Gateway, Over Unto Amethyst, and Subspace Moon. ** While the second of those names was later changed due to it resembling, as described by AgentMuffin, "edgy word salad name", the other two names were later changed as elements of the story, particular the "Orchid", were evolved as the story was conceptualized. * While the story is primarily a reimagining of the Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, some of the ideas planned to be included in Crown of Orchid are similar to those featured in the main single player mode of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, World of Light. This is purely coincidental, as these elements of Crown of Orchid were conceptualized prior to the reveal of the aforementioned mode. "Super Smash Bros." © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory, Inc. 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Category:Amiibo Compatible Games Category:Fan Games Category:Author Appeal Project * Category:Story Modes Category:Stories